11 companies targeted in Quebec train disaster suit

On July 6, an unattended parked train packed with 72 tankers of crude oil rolled downhill into a Quebec town. More than 20 cars derailed, and the tankers crashed and exploded. The accident killed 47 people.

The crash has already spurred at least one wrongful death suit, and now a new suit claims the railroad operating company involved in the disaster—Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railroad Inc. (MMA)—knew it was dangerous to leave a train loaded with crude oil unattended on a main track. The suit also claims the company failed to properly train its employees.

The new suit also targets 10 other oil companies for their involvement in the disaster.

According to the Montreal Gazette, MMA is refusing to cover the nearly $8 million tab to clean up the debris and oil that covered the town in the aftermath of the disaster.